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Rockliff must fix his $7.9 million bungle

Northern Support School upgrade leaves students, staff and parents with botched facilities

Rockliff ignoring concerns of parents

Students with disabilities unable to use corridors, doors and pathways

Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff needs to explain how he has so badly bungled a $7.9 million upgrade and amalgamation of a critical northern Tasmanian school campus for students with special needs.

Shadow Education Minister Michelle O’Byrne said the upgrade of the Northern Support School’s Ravenswood campus and amalgamation with Newstead had been so poorly planned and carried out by the Hodgman Government that there were very real fears it would not be fit for purpose.

“The upgrade has been so terribly mismanaged by Mr Rockliff that there are now concerns about very basic facilities like hallways which are not wide enough for kids in wheelchairs to pass each other,” Ms O’Byrne said.

“We are seeing the installation of doorways that are inaccessible to kids and garden paths that are not able to be used by disabled children because they are too narrow.

“Considerable changes will now need to be made to meet the requirements of students and staff and parents.

“The Disability Education Reform Lobby has significant concerns that the school is now not going to be fit for purpose.

“It’s astounding that Mr Rockliff has got it so very wrong.

“This issue was raised with Mr Rockliff in Budget Estimates hearings and he said parents were happy with the upgrade.

“The truth is they are not – they understand this project has been atrociously bungled.